Easy Isn't Always Best
by HellFire2488
Summary: Set the night of episode 46 of Dragon Ball Super. Trunks has nightmares after they return from Potaufeu, and he and Vegeta have a conversation.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Easy isn't always best

Characters: Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks

Summary: Set the night of episode 46 of Dragon Ball Super. Trunks has nightmares after they return from Potaufeu, and he and Vegeta have a conversation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Super.

* * *

"Mom?" Trunks whispered as he shuffled into the lab. It was late, way later than he was allowed to be up.

After another long talk from his mom about climbing into Mr. Monaka's spaceship, he was tucked in and wished a good night. That was hours ago, and he was exhausted, but no matter how much he tried to sleep, the nightmares would wake him back up.

Bulma heard the faint sound and slid from underneath the machine she'd had Monaka help her with earlier. When she looked up and saw Trunks, her brow furrowed slightly before she let out a soft sigh and motioned for him to come over.

She had been scared to death when she found out that he and Goten had been taken away to space. Though she knew how powerful her son and Goten were, and that that was not the first time they had even traveled away from earth, it was still a numbing experience to know your child was someplace you couldn't protect them. Her thoughts had gone back to Vegeta's initial reaction and, though he played calm, she knew he was concerned as well.

Trunks made his way over to where his mother sat on the floor. When he got closer, she gave him a look and reached out to touch his face. He didn't know why until she muttered, "You poor thing. You look like you haven't slept."

Trunks shrugged, but his eyes bore into hers as she studied him.

"What's wrong, honey?" She asked, standing up. "Are you hungry? You didn't eat much during dinner."

Trunks almost took her up on her suggested offer. Maybe if he ate enough, he could go to sleep and try to will the nightmares away. It would have been easy, but as soon as he thought it, he shook his head. He couldn't do it the easy way this time. "Easy" was what almost got his father killed.

The entire ride back from planet Potaufeu was silent for Vegeta and Trunks. While Goten and Goku were happily talking to an annoyed Jaco as he drove, Vegeta and Trunks stayed near the back, Trunks never moving more than an inch away from his father. As earth loomed into view, Vegeta broke the silence long enough to say, "What happened with the super human water, your mother doesn't need to know, understand?"

Trunks looked up to see his father with a faraway look in his eyes. As he turned away, he added, "As far as she's concerned, you ran into those thugs and we ended them and returned home."

Trunks could only nod and tighten his grip on his father's hand as he leaned against his side.

Listening to his father was another easy thing to do. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wasn't so easy this time. With those thoughts in mind, he shook his head. "No, mom. I'm not hungry. I need…I need to talk to you."

Bulma's expression grew concerned once more as she kneeled in front of him. "What's wrong, Trunks?"

Trunks turned his head away almost immediately. He could feel the tears from before well in his eyes again, and this time, once they started, he wasn't sure they would stop.

Bulma could feel her temper rise as she looked at her son. She knew something happened to him on that planet. She could see it as soon as she saw her little boy walk off the spaceship and give her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She looked over at Vegeta then, waiting for an explanation, but he merely averted his eyes and walked off to the edge of the balcony.

When she got back to her bedroom, Vegeta was going to get an earful.

Focusing on Trunks again, she extended her hand. "How about this? We'll stop by the kitchen for a sandwich, and get you back to bed and talk there."

Trunks nodded and took her hand, not having the strength to answer her question verbally. His mind was jumbled, with memories from various battles replaying in his head. His chest felt tight again. It was the same tightness he felt after Gotenks separated and he looked at the landscape around the battlefield through his father's disappearing legs. Or the tightness when he watched the purple water swallow and spit his father out in front of his eyes.

If he thought back farther, he knew he could recall many times he felt the sensation.

By the time he focused back on the present, he and his mother were walking into his bedroom. He looked up to see her put a plate with a sandwich down on his bedside table.

Bulma couldn't keep the worry off of her face as she coaxed Trunks into bed. He had been silent as they walked through the kitchen and up the stairs. If she hadn't been holding on to him, she was sure he would have just remained motionless.

She brushed his hair out of his face and coaxed his chin up to look at her.

"You're really starting to scare me, kid." She told him lightheartedly. "What's going on? You can tell me. Does this have anything to do with what happened today?"

Trunks slowly nodded, a look of determination in his eyes. He had to tell her what happened, and he had to tell her what he did. _'No easy way. No easy way.'_ He thought.

"Dad almost died today." He started and, just like floodgates, everything came spilling out. He told her about what happened when they got there and after the superhuman water was unleashed."We…me and Goten, we were running away, but the bad guys caught up to us. I thought I was gonna get blasted, but dad showed up."

A smile- a real one- crept on his face. Bulma couldn't help but smile too as she listened. The admiration her son had for Vegeta was one she didn't think he would ever grow out of. Vegeta had been his everything from the moment Trunks laid eyes on him.

"But…" Trunks had to pause when he felt his voice crack. "But after he did that, he was swallowed by this purple goo and he couldn't breathe and then it just spit him out! And then the purple goo morphed into dad. And it took dad's energy. He couldn't fly or anything! And then the old man there said dad would die when time ran out unless the goo got beaten."

He stopped to take a breath, his eyes wildly looking at Bulma.

The fear she saw in his eyes shook her. She'd been there way too many times, watching Vegeta battle and get hurt. She saw the pain in her son's eyes as he experienced what she- and Vegeta- always tried to protect him from.

"He almost died, mom. He started disappearing!" He couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "And…and everybody was moving so slow! Like dad had all the time in the world and he didn't! Me and Goten did fusion to try to beat him, but he didn't even feel it. He said it was like a bug landed on him or something."

"Oh Trunks, you know that wasn't your dad." Bulma said, but Trunks shook his head again.

"No, I know it wasn't dad. He didn't hurt my feelings, mom. He…he was so powerful we couldn't do anything. I couldn't help." He whispered the last part.

Bulma moved closer to him and squeezed his leg gently. She misunderstood before, but she knew what was wrong now.

"Go ahead, Trunks. What happened next?" She asked. He needed to get all of his feelings out.

Trunks let out a breath and forced himself to look up again. "And then Goku came and I was so happy. If anybody had a shot at beating dad, it was him. But they were going slow, too. And dad was still disappearing and they said if he disappeared all the way, he'd never come back. But even dad started to hold up the fight, and he just kept getting clearer and clearer. Me and Goten and Jaco and the old man tried to find the original water, but it chased us and we had to run. And then it was too late and dad started completely fading away! I almost couldn't see him anymore.

"But then Mr. Monaka stepped on the crystal from the water and it broke, and Goku could defeat him. And dad…he….he was solid again."

Bulma let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. It was one thing to hear the story and know her husband was down the hall solid and asleep. It was another to hear the story first hand with the same raw emotions she knew her son felt and still harbored.

Bulma pulled him into a hug as he let out a sob into her shoulder. She couldn't help the wetness around her own eyes as she imagined witnessing her husband disappear in front of her.

As Trunks cried, she felt his hand move across her stomach and heard him whimper, "My chest hurts and I don't know why."

"Oh, Trunks. Honey…" Bulma ran her fingers through his hair as her arms tightened around him. She kissed his brow and leaned back to look at his tear stained face.

"What does it feel like, sweetie? Your chest. Can you describe it to me?" She asked, resting her hand on top of the one still clenching the front of his shirt.

He sniffed. "I don't know, mom. I just..I feel it when I think about dad dying or getting hurt. But I don't know why."

"Bulma."

Bulma and Trunks looked toward the door to see Vegeta leaning against the wall. Trunks gasped and lowered his head. He hadn't even felt his father's energy when he came into the room.

Bulma narrowed her eyes at him, to which Vegeta held her gaze. Though no one spoke, the amount said in that stare spoke volumes.

Vegeta looked from Bulma to Trunks. He noticed how small his son looked. Sitting on the large bed, surrounded by oversized comforters and shielded by his mother; no one would ever suspect his son of the bravery and strength he possessed.

He heard everything his son said. He felt Trunks' energy fluctuate from the moment he was put to bed until a few minutes ago when he felt the boy leave his room.

Vegeta knew his son well enough to know where- or who- he would be seeking out. As much as he didn't want Bulma to know about his near death, he suspected his request was a lot to ask his son after what he had almost witnessed.

He looked back toward Bulma, contemplating his next move. Walking closer to the bed, he looked her in the eye and firmly asked, "Leave."

Bulma turned red, a yell on her lips at the audacity of him to order her out, especially considering she partially blamed him for the emotional rollercoaster Trunks had been through that day. She stopped herself, however. Looking at Vegeta moments ago, seeing the look in his eyes, showed her that he knew exactly what was wrong with Trunks and how to help him. The only way Trunks was going to figure out his feelings was with Vegeta's help.

Bulma nodded and turned back to give Trunks one more hug and kiss before standing and walking out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Easy isn't always best

Characters: Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks

Summary: Set the night of episode 46 of Dragon Ball Super. Trunks has nightmares after they return from Potaufeu, and he and Vegeta have a conversation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Super.

* * *

Vegeta watched her leave, silently thanking her for not arguing. Once he heard the door close behind her, he turned his attention back to the small Saiyan. He was still curled up under his comforter, his hair covering most of his face. His chest rose and fell rapidly, with his hand still clutching the front of his shirt.

He almost wished he hadn't sent her away. She was who Trunks sought out, after all. And she was clearly more adept at handling their son. As much as it may have been easier to have her solve this, Vegeta knew in his heart that she would never be able to understand what the real issue was.

Vegeta knew instantly, the moment Trunks mentioned his near death, what that feeling in his chest was. He felt the same sensation many times in his life, beginning with the death of his own father. That had felt like a gaping hole had been struck through him. It was something that time numbed, but never healed.

Thinking of his son feeling the same way was something he had to put an end to. It was a fate worse than death, and one he would never want for his child.

Vegeta walked over and sat on the edge of the bed in front of the small saiyan. Trunks sat up straight now, having since dried his tears and composed himself. It was one thing to break down in front of his mother, but his father always taught him to stand proud, regardless of the situation. Straightening his back, he looked his father in the eyes, trying desperately to breathe through the hollow yet painful dance his insides were performing.

Vegeta met his son's gaze, a flicker of pride warming him at the shear willpower of the young warrior. It amazed him sometimes, the way his earth-raised half saiyan son could go from childlike antics to seasoned fighter in the blink of an eye. It made him difficult to train; Trunks' maturity and power made it easy to forget what those things really masked.

Underneath it all, Trunks was exactly who Vegeta saw in that moment. A child, a tiny being still in life's infancy. One who, despite seeing more than average earthlings, was still protected from life's more mature concepts.

Ironically, it was Bulma who first wanted to introduce Trunks to the concept of death. When one of the blasted goldfish was found floating at the top of the water, she wanted to use it as a way to explain to their then four year old what happened to it. He didn't think he had ever seen his wife so shocked at the vehemence in which he argued against it.

He knew death; death was not a scientific conversation of decomposition, nor was it one where a creature is flushed and sent to Kami to live in the afterlife forever. Death to him meant much more. It was witnessing the slaughter of people he grew to care for. It was watching annihilation through the window of space and at his own hands. It was sitting in the dark of a space bunker, willing his mind to erase everything. It was the physical responses of cold sweat, headaches, and the feeling of ice settling in the center of his chest.

It was guilt and rage and helplessness. And it was what he knew, without a single doubt, that his son felt from the moment he saw the water swallow him.

"What happened on that planet, you were not to blame." Vegeta began, bringing himself back to the present and breaking the silent truce between them.

Trunks' eyes flashed, disbelief settling in his scowl. He opened his mouth to speak, to argue, to scream, but was silenced by a hard look from his father.

"It isn't!" Vegeta barked. "There is plenty of blame to place on you and Kakarott's brat for how you came to land on that ball of dirt, but what happened with the black water was not one of them."

Trunks squeezed his eyes shut, his hand tightening even more around the collar of his shirt. "You almost died, dad." He tried and failed to keep his voice strong.

"Yes, I did." Came the blunt reply. "I made a careless error by lowering my guard."

Trunks snapped his eyes open again, wetness forming around the blue irises. "Because me and Goten did something stupid and you had to come save us! None of this would have happened if we didn't get in the back of the truck."

"What's your point?" He raised an eyebrow, regarding Trunks with a tilt of his head. "Tell me: do you think this one incident will ensure you will never do anything reckless again?"

Trunks rose higher in his seat quickly, fervent declarations of obedience fighting to leave his lips. "I'll be better! I won't do anything like that ever again. You'll see! I'll be more careful—"

Vegeta let out a low laugh, the sound coming from deep in his stomach. "It is a sentiment you will never be capable of following through with. You are a child, and you will continue to test the limits of discipline. It is inevitable."

Vegeta met his gaze with another hard stare, the atmosphere taking a turn back to the original topic.

"I may have been on that planet to get you, but your involvement ends there."

"But, how can you say that, dad? Gotenks lost the battle! I was supposed to be strong enough—"

"To do what? To save me from myself?" Vegeta cursed under his breath, the parallel between this battle and another giving him a strong urge to fly to the mountains and beat Kakarott into a bloody mess.

Because this was a perfect parallel, wasn't it? A physical representation of a split decision made by someone else. One that left a lasting effect on another demi-saiyan…

"Tell me, how much has Gohan told you of the battle with Cell?" Vegeta asked suddenly.

Trunks tensed up, his breath quickening. Not for the first time, he wondered how his father always managed to be one step ahead. That battle had been on his mind all while he had been fused as Gotenks fighting his father's look alike.

The rare times Gohan and Trunks would train alone were filled with conversations of that very battle. Gohan told him lots of things about the fight, usually the action packed moments that Trunks wanted to hear about.

But Gohan would occasionally slip, and he would tell Trunks about the pain. Sometimes, Trunks could relate to it. Like the dull aches of battle, or the guilt of not feeling like he'd trained hard enough. But then the pain would go deeper, to a place Trunks' hadn't been before. It would be small sentences, snippets of so much more, but they were memorable enough to stay with Trunks. Like the feeling of failure that he wasn't able to defeat Cell himself. The unbearable moment of agony as he watched his father make the final decision to end the battle.

The emptiness of his soul being ripped apart when he felt his father's ki wither into nothingness.

"He—" Trunks' couldn't finish, his breath coming out too fast and too short.

He vaguely heard his father say something, but the only thing he could concentrate on was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. It was too much. It was way too much, and his chest still hurt and he didn't know what to do.

His father's voice was louder now, and he felt himself being lifted and sat back down. The hand still clutching the front of his shirt was now covered by another, and there was a solid presence at his back that kept him from falling.

The hand was firm against his, and he closed his eyes as he felt pressure push and release against his ribcage.

"Breathe, boy." He heard his father's voice clearly now, and opened his eyes as he obeyed, allowing the hand to lead every inhale.

Vegeta looked down on Trunks as he sat leaned against him, stilling the trembling body as best he could. It amazed him, the pain he felt seeing the boy in such a state. Had Gohan been the same after Kakarrott played hero and sacrificed himself?

And how could he possibly console Trunks knowing he had attempted the exact same thing not too long ago?

"Hear me, Trunks" He whispered. "What happened today was a foolish mistake on my part. It was not the battle with Cell." _'I was not trying to die. Not like Kakarott. Not like Buu…'_

Trunks wanted to protest, _would_ have, if not for the tears clogging his throat and his father's disappearing body replaying in his head.

Vegeta continued on, slowing his breaths so Trunks' own lungs could keep up.

"There was a reason that I knocked you out when I was fighting Buu." He felt Trunks still in his arms. "It was not some hero's game. It was so you did not have to watch me do what I did. The way Gohan watched what his father did. The way I watched what happened to my father."

The battle he fought with Buu as Majin Vegeta was hard to relive. It was one that had almost irreparably torn his family apart. The lengths he had to go through to get Bulma to trust him again were immeasurable. It was the difference between Kakarott and himself, one that the two saiyans would always be at odds about. Kakarott put earth's salvation before all else, regardless of how that affected his mate and children. Vegeta would let the earth burn, so long as all he valued remained in tact.

Trunks listened intently, his own body working on its own in conjunction with his father's steady breathing.

"If left up to me, you will never see me take my last breath. Just like you did not witness it today. The feeling you have right now that you are clinging to, the tightness in your chest, the feeling like your heart is tearing in half," He flexed the hand over his chest for emphasis. "Should only be felt for situations that are inevitable. You did not lose me, or anyone else today. Take solace in that, and use the breaths you are taking in now to center yourself. There will be plenty more battles. You need to continue to be strong."

Just like that, Trunks felt the knots in his stomach uncoil, and the pressure in his chest disappear.

His father was right. He wasn't dead; he was alive right behind him, and his breathing was helping guide his. He and Goten got home, and everyone is fine. His dad didn't want to die, didn't want to sacrifice himself, wouldn't do what Gohan's dad did.

And when the next battle happens, he will fight his hardest and be strong, just like his father said.

"Now, you've kept me up long enough. Go to sleep." Vegeta muttered gruffly, standing from the edge of the bed. Trunks blinked sleepily and crawled his way back to the headboard.

"Night, dad." He bid softly, burrowing under his comforter and pulling it up tight around him.

As his eyes closed, he concentrated on his father's strong ki still in the room, and felt it's presence even as he succumbed to his dreams.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
